GreeneMachine

Over the counter and in yo freezer! Way to get it done. I spent $6k once on a WY elk hunt and didn't see a single bull in 10 days. Goes to show that if you want to hunt and don't get caught up in all "premium" hunts, you can get it done every year on a nice elk. Congrats!

I just posted a topic regarding Leupold's customer service. They replaced a pair of 10x42 Cascades that I scratched...no questions asked. If I remember, they were somewhere in the $200 - $300 range. I personally really like those binos for short to medium range glassing. Make sure you go with a brand with good customer service. I understand you wanting to buy something now and save for something real nice later. But it would chap my ars if I spent $250 on some glass, had something happen, and then be in a position of having to decide if you should buy another set of lower cost binos.

My buddy had returned a pair of 7 yr old binos to Leupold because they didn't seem to want to focus anymore. Like many glass makers, they were excellent about providing him with a brand new pair of the newest equivalent model. I happen to have the same pair of 7 yr old binos, and I had accidentally scratched the lens on mine a few years back. The scratch was 100% my fault, and in my letter to Leupold I simply stated "I scratched my lens." Leupold ended up replacing mine with a brand new pair as well. Had them at my door about 3 weeks after I shipped them off. Just thought I'd pass the intel on in case any of you had similar thoughts on returning a pair of Leupold's.

Alright, alright...it was me. I took the 200" mulie. 100yd shot with my bow with 25mph winds. I WISH!!!

What about the Galiuro's? I'm sure you know far more on this topic than anyone putting their two cents in. I'm surely no expert (heck, I didn't even know the name of Galiuro's until a few weeks ago). And I give you and any group credit for being willing to fight this battle because it's going to be battle. I haven't lived in AZ for over a decade now yet I've heard conversation about this transplant numerous times over the past year. But when I did live in AZ and worked at the El Conq during my college years, I can't tell you how many times a day I had to listen to everyone's opinion about the mythical sheep at Pusch Ridge while driving them past the bronze sheep statue out front of the hotel. If the Catalina's are the only range that will support the sheep, then you would know that better than the rest of us. But it sure will be a shame if the transplant has a negative effect on access/use by hunters/hikers/recreationalists. While that may not be in the plans now, we all know how these sensitive topics with a lot of press and big $'s can end up when certain tree hugging groups dig their claws in. Just my opinion, continued access and use by all these groups is far more important than the presence of a sheep population on the ridge. I love seeing wildlife and that's right up there with the top reasons why I hunt. But when a lot of money gets spent to preserve a few at the expense of many, that's no bueno. Hope this project works out good for everyone!...(and I think I'll just shut my mouth now cause I don't know nearly enough about this topic to have written two full paragraphs!!)

My two cents: it would be cool to see sheep on the mountain. What I find funny: growing up in Tucson and hearing all the sheep lovers blame the animals demise on the parking lot lights at El Conquistador and other urban growth, but now the sheep lovers think the same growth won't impact the sheep?!? That is until 5 sheep survive past the first year...and then it's urban growths fault again. Someone already stated this, but why not transplant to a different range? Have to believe its because the catalinas make much better PR then some other range the average joe has never heard of and couldn't care less if transplanted sheep, wolves or chupacabra make the news.

Not a pig expert...but I know javi's like to come to the defense of their own. Are feral hogs the same way? I know many places let you spear hogs, but would it be less safe to spear a javi? Could you imagine watching that...hunter spears javi, javi's buddies spear hunter multiple times.

Coming from a CA "cornhole" with an AZ lifetime license, I must say that AZ's lifetime license policy is like having a soar tally wacker....you just can't beat it! I've been in CA for 12 years now, and nothing says "Welcome Home" like an upcoming AZ draw!

+1 on wanting to hear the story. I'd guess these guides had this beast on radar for a while....would be very interested to hear how much time/effort and what steps were taken to make sure this one didn't get away.

Wow mklong40, wish you would have had this kind of forward thinking back when you and I drove through the mud for 2 hours to get to our blind only to realize we forgot my bow! Would have saved me that back ache I got from choking that deer to death with my bare hands!

I think I have that big one on trail cam...see below.

Now that's some funny stuff!!!

What are the specs on the vacuum?

Best way to get rid of that smell: "WTS, slightly used game freezer".

This just in....riots erupt throughout Nebraska in response to school bus beat down. Sad thing is, if the above were true, it would have gathered a lot more scrutiny than the semi annual "protests" that occur in rat invested LA. I'm not that old, so it amazes me that in the short number of years since I was in high school, this type of story actually makes national news. And the only reason this and Treyshon made news is because these idiot activists have decided to make a big deal every time a white person harms a black. What happened on this bus was no different than the stuff that happened in my high school buses, locker rooms, hall ways, etc. Sucks that a kid got beat up, but this stuff happens all over the place all the time. Just like the black kid that got shot in the face for beating down a white security guard. Sucks, but it happens all time.

Ats what I'm sayin!!!

I thought bivy was the way to go, until I got stuck in a nasty snow/rain storm this past December while on a WT hunt. Amanda's set up is awesome, and is very similar to what I've used. However, I had a heck of time when the rain and snow started and didn't stop for a day. Problem I had with my bivy was that once you're in, it's hard to get out if it's pouring rain without getting everything (including your sleeping bag) completely wet. So once you're in, you have to hope you don't need to get out (bathroom, water, food, medication, etc.). And being zipped up in a bivy for 8+ hours is just torture. I spent good money on one of the top of the line bivy's because I was concerned about condensation. Made by Outdoor Research. So I got one that was supposed to breath. Yeah right. I used this bivy on an August deer hunt to help keep the ants from crawling over me all night. It did not breath as advertised and it was horrible. I returned my bivy to REI when I got back from the December hunt. Will never use one again. Just my opinion, the bivy sack doesn't offer much. If the weather is nice, a sleeping bag and pad will work fine. If you need a bivy to stay dry, I would recommend a tent instead. A lot of other good replies on this post. To +1 what someone else stated, don't be afraid to filter those nasty water holes for water. It may look nasty, but it sure beats lugging gallons of water around when you're trying to go light. Consider renting a backpacking tent from REI and giving it a shot. The super light tents aren't cheap, but worth their weight. Backpack hunting is the way to go, and you'll find a lot of reward in it.

Took a short video of this 6x5 with split g2 on the left side. Video was taken 09/2012. Hunting buddy made me swear to secrecy on where we were but I can tell you the unit starts with the numbers 33! Went back a few times but never saw the buck (or his buddy). If anyone ended up taking this buck, I figured the rack would be fairly unmistakable...and if so, PM me and I'll find a way to get you the video.

Well, that's because I was. Thanks again for letting me borrow your camo pants on that trip.

You guys eat your Coues after shooting them??? (...only joking)

Love the heavy ones....I'd say 95-100

Pretty sure I saw that ram at a local taxis office when I dropped off my wt...awesome ram. Whether the kid used the tag, or mom took the tag, does it really matter? On any ram hunt, there's gonna be the hunter, and probably three of his family or friends. If someone that has been putting in for 20 years decides to sacrifice their shot so their kid can, more power to them. The entire family would have been out there hunting together anyways, and as long as they aren't jumping ahead of others in line, it hasn't impacted anyone's chances of drawing next year. Strongly agree with having the person that drew the tag being present though, otherwise I'm putting my 95 yr grandma in and having her pass the tag to my kid. That wouldn't be fair cause now u have a non hunter taking the spot of a hunter that is more deserving.

G&F finally called me back and they said, "That thing you shot is a large rodent and they taste like crap. Just thought we'd let you know before you bit in to it!" Actually, the ear tag has a number and based on the number and color of the tag, they were able to look it up and it was caught inside the botanical garden downtown, tranquilized and released last feb out near oracle. Until they called back, half of me thought there was something up with the pig. We've taken a handful of pigs but none smelled as bad as this sucka!

Very cool video...nice work! And nice shot to the dome!

My hunt was an extension of what mklong40 already posted on this forum. He hit the nail on the head with describing our hunt...no bucks, tons of does, and tough weather. I will take the blame for having the bivy camp idea. My "dream hunt" has always been to head off on foot in to wilderness country, not run in to another human, and walk back out 5 days later with meat and antlers on my back. I've hunted a lot of different species and in a number of different western states and that idea of a hunt is not as easy to accomplish as I originally thought. So with this tag in hand, I guess the idea of a bivy camp was too sexy to pass up even though we watched the weather forecast get nastier and nastier in the ten days leading up to our hunt. My two cents: just get a small two man backpacker tent instead of a bivy sack. The additional 3lbs is well worth it. The big disadvantages with a bivy sack is once your in it, you have to stay in it until it stops raining. And there's no room to keep your pack dry inside a bivy sack. And if it's not raining, well you really don't need the bivy sack anyways. So I'll never use one again...(especially one made by Outdoor Research..the thing leaked like a sreen door!). Kind of a bummer that after 9 months of discussing this hunt nearly every other day, all the research and scouting, ALL the hikes up and down what seemed like every hill and mountain up there, and putting up with the weather....I took my buck on a day Matt couldn't be there and he took his on a day I wasn't there. This was only one of two shooter bucks I saw in the 8 days I hunted. Took him at 300yds with my 300WSM. Third coues I've taken with a 180gr Accubond and I've had zero issue with meat loss, and every one was dead before they hit the ground. Thanks to my wife for putting up with this crap and thanks to Matt for the help (I would have thanked you first if you were there to help on the 5 mile pack out!! jk)